Kim Rahn is the managing editor of The Korea Times. Since joining the company in 2003, she has covered various beats including the presidential office, Seoul city government, the Bank of Korea and the tourism industry. In 2014, she won the Society of Publishers in Asia (SOPA) award for her coverage of the ordeals of migrant women in Korea.
Jaw surgery clinic receives warning for exaggerating ad
A corrective jaw surgery ad from ID Hospital, which was warned by the Fair Trade Commission for exaggerating the competence of its staff. The commission said the hospital failed to prove that each of its doctors performed over 1,000 jaw surgeries, as it advertised. / Yonhap
By Kim Rahn
By Kim Rahn
A plastic surgery clinic was issued a warning for making false claims on a billboard advertisement about the extent of surgical experience held by doctors who perform corrective jaw surgery.
The Fair Trade Commission said Thursday it issued a warning against ID Hospital for advertising that each of its doctors has performed more than 1,000 jaw surgeries.
The clinic failed to prove this claim.
ID Hospital became famous after a female comedian had corrective jaw surgery, medically referred to as orthognathic surgery to change her appearance.
The surgery was originally performed to correct skeletal and dental irregularities, such as misaligned jaws to improve chewing, speaking and breathing.
But many celebrities have undergone the procedure and appeared on TV with better looks, so many people here regard it as a type of cosmetic surgery. However, it requires specialist skills, so the extent of doctors’ experience is important.
The ID Hospital advertisement was put up at Apgujeong Station near the clinic between July and December last year, with the phrase “1,000 jaw surgeries per doctor” included on it.
The commission said the hospital failed to present documentation to prove the surgery’s claim.
The ad also said the clinic has corrective jaw surgery specialists, but the watchdog said, “There is no such thing as ‘jaw surgery specialists’ according to Medical Law. The ad could have misled people to believe that doctors there have special licenses to perform the surgery.”
The hospital removed the phrase from the ad when the commission began the inspection.